U.S. patent application number 13/115071 was filed with the patent office on 2012-02-09 for electronic device and method for searching product information in tv programs with product placements.
This patent application is currently assigned to HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to YU-FENG CHIEN, SHAN-CHUAN JENG, CHUNG-I LEE, HO-I SUN, CHENG-FENG TSAI, CHIEN-FA YEH, TSUNG-HSIN YEN.
Application Number | 20120036540 13/115071 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45557059 |
Filed Date | 2012-02-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120036540 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LEE; CHUNG-I ; et
al. |
February 9, 2012 |
ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SEARCHING PRODUCT INFORMATION IN
TV PROGRAMS WITH PRODUCT PLACEMENTS
Abstract
A method searches product information in TV programs with
product placements using an electronic device. The electronic
device defines keywords and appearance times of products presented
on a TV program. During the TV program broadcasts, the electronic
device displays the keywords of the presented products on a display
device according to the predetermined appearance times. A product
is selected from the presented products after any of the keyword
presented on the TV program is tapped. The electronic device uses a
search engine to search for related information of the selected
product according to the tapped keyword, and displays the searched
information on the display device for users to browse.
Inventors: |
LEE; CHUNG-I; (Tu-Cheng,
TW) ; YEH; CHIEN-FA; (Tu-Cheng, TW) ; JENG;
SHAN-CHUAN; (Tu-Cheng, TW) ; TSAI; CHENG-FENG;
(Tu-Cheng, TW) ; YEN; TSUNG-HSIN; (Tu-Cheng,
TW) ; CHIEN; YU-FENG; (Tu-Cheng, TW) ; SUN;
HO-I; (Tu-Cheng, TW) |
Assignee: |
HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO.,
LTD.
Tu-Cheng
TW
|
Family ID: |
45557059 |
Appl. No.: |
13/115071 |
Filed: |
May 24, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
725/60 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/4782 20130101;
H04N 21/26225 20130101; H04N 21/4725 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/60 |
International
Class: |
H04N 5/445 20110101
H04N005/445 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 9, 2010 |
TW |
99126406 |
Claims
1. A method for searching product information in TV programs with
product placements using an electronic device, the method
comprising: defining keywords and appearance times of products
presented on a TV program; displaying the keywords of the presented
products on a display device concurrently with the TV program
according to the appearance times, the display device
electronically connected to the electronic device during the TV
program; receiving a selection operation for a product selected
from the presented products displayed on a display device, the
selection operation according to selection of a keyword of the
product; searching related information of the selected product
according to the keyword of the selected product using a search
engine; and displaying the searched information of the selected
product on the display device.
2. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:
recording the keywords and the appearance times of the presented
products in an image file or a movie file that is compatible with
the TV program.
3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein the movie file is in
a MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or an AVC format.
4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the TV program is a
movie, a TV series, or an entertainment show.
5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein each of the
appearance times comprises a start time and an end time of the
keywords to be presented on the TV program.
6. An electronic device, comprising: at least one processor; a
storage system; and one or more modules that are stored in the
storage system and executed by the at least one processor, the one
or more modules comprising instructions: to define keywords and
appearance times of products presented on a TV program; to display
the keywords of the presented products on a display device
concurrently with the TV program according to the appearance times,
the display device electronically connected to the electronic
device during the TV program; to receive a selection operation for
a product selected from the presented products displayed on a
display device, the selection operation according to selection of a
keyword of the product; to search related information of the
selected product according to the keyword of the selected product
using a search engine; and to display the searched information of
the selected product on the display device.
7. The electronic device as described in claim 6, wherein the
keywords and the appearance times related to the presented products
are recorded in an image file or a movie file that is compatible
with the TV program.
8. The electronic device as described in claim 7, wherein the movie
file is in a MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or an AVC format.
9. The electronic device as described in claim 6, wherein the TV
program is a movie, a TV series, or an entertainment shown.
10. The electronic device as described in claim 6, wherein each of
the appearance times comprises a start time and an end time of the
keywords to be presented on the TV program.
11. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon
instructions that, when executed by a processor of an electronic
device, causes the processor to perform a method for searching
product information in TV programs with product placements, the
method comprising: defining keywords and appearance times of
products presented on a TV program; displaying the keywords of the
presented products on a display device concurrently with the TV
program according to the appearance times, the display device
electronically connected to the electronic device during the TV
program; receiving a selection operation for a product selected
from the presented products displayed on a display device, the
selection operation according to selection of a keyword of the
product; searching related information of the selected product
according to the keyword of the selected product using a search
engine; and displaying the searched information of the selected
product on the display device.
12. The storage medium as described in claim 11, wherein the method
further comprises: recording the keywords and the appearance times
of the presented products in an image file or a movie file that is
compatible with the TV program.
13. The storage medium as described in claim 12, wherein the movie
file is in a MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or an AVC format.
14. The storage medium as described in claim 11, wherein each of
the appearance times comprises a start time and an end time of the
keywords to be presented on the TV program.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to
advertisement displaying devices and methods, particularly to an
electronic device and method for searching product information in
TV programs with product placements.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Product placement is increasingly becoming a more popular
form of advertising in today's media environment, especially with
the growing use of digital recording devices such as TIVO and DVR
that allow viewers to skip commercials. While there are numerous
advantages to this marketing strategy, one major disadvantage is
that the viewers have no concrete information on what the product
is or even where to purchase it. This lack of information may
inhibit sales growth, keeping this kind of advertising from being a
better investment of advertising dollars.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of an electronic
device including an information searching unit.
[0006] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of function
modules of the information searching unit of FIG. 1.
[0007] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a
method for searching product information in TV programs with
product placements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] In general, the data "module," as used herein, refers to
logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of
software instructions, written in a programming language, such as,
for example, Java, C, or assembly. One or more software
instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware, such as an
EPROM. It will be appreciated that modules may comprise connected
logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and may comprise
programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors.
The modules described herein may be implemented as either software
and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of
computer-readable medium or other computer storage device.
[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of an electronic
device 1 including an information searching unit 10. In the
embodiment, functions of the information searching unit 10 are
implemented by the electronic device 1. The information searching
unit 10 can search related information of products presented in a
TV program from networks, and display the searched information on a
display device 2 that is electronically connected to the electronic
device 1 via a wired or wireless connection. In one embodiment, the
products may be cars, watches, or clothes. The searched information
of the products may include web page and/or a website address. The
TV program may be a movie, a TV series, or any other entertainment
show.
[0010] In one embodiment, the electronic device 1 may be a
computer, a TV, a portable electronic device, or any other
electronic device that includes a storage system 12 and at least
one processor 14.
[0011] The information searching unit 10 is configured to receive
keywords and appearance times of products presented on a TV
program, and display the keywords of the presented products on the
display device 2 concurrently with the TV program according to the
appearance times. When a viewer 4 taps any keyword displayed on the
TV program (e.g., using a finger or a stylus) to select a presented
product, the information searching unit 10 can load the keyword of
the selected product in a search engine to search related
information of the selected product, and displays the searched
information on the display device 2. The search engine can be
predetermined or user configurable as will be shown below.
[0012] The display device 2 is used for receiving a selection
operation of the keyword from the viewer 4, and displaying the
searched information of the selected product. In the embodiment,
the display device 2 is a touch-sensitive display or a 3D display,
and can receive an input operation of the viewer 4 using a finger
or a stylus pen. For example, if the electronic device 1 is a TV,
the viewer 4 can use a remote control to operate (i.e., select a
product) the electronic device 1.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of function
modules of the information searching unit 10 of FIG. 1. In one
embodiment, the information searching unit 10 includes a definition
module 100, a recording module 102, a displaying module 104, a
receiving module 106, a searching module 108, and an output module
110. Each of the modules 100-110 may be a software program
including one or more computerized instructions that are stored in
the storage system 12 and executed by the processor 14.
[0014] In one embodiment, the storage system 12 may be a magnetic
or an optical storage system, such as a hard disk drive, an optical
drive, or a tape drive.
[0015] Before the display device 2 broadcasts a TV program, the
definition module 100 defines keywords and appearance times of the
presented products on the TV program. In the embodiment, each of
the appearance times includes a start time and an end time of the
keywords to be presented on the TV program. For example, if a skirt
worn by a woman is presented on a TV series from 9:00 to 9:02, the
definition module 102 can define the keyword of the skirt as "ABC
skirt," define the start time of the keyword "ABC skirt" as 9:00,
and define the end time of the keyword "ABC skirt" as 9:02.
[0016] The recording module 104 records the keywords and the
appearance times of the presented products in an image file or a
movie file that is compatible with the TV program. In one
embodiment, the movie file may be in a MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or an AVC
format.
[0017] When the display device 2 broadcasts the TV program, the
displaying module 102 displays the keywords of the presented
products on the display device 2 concurrently with the TV program
according to the appearance times.
[0018] The receiving module 106 receives a selection operation of a
presented product from the viewer 4. For one example, if the
display device 2 is a touch-sensitive display, the viewer 4 may use
a finger or a stylus to tap the keyword of the presented product to
select the product, and then the receiving module 106 receives the
selection operation. For another example, the selection of the
keywords is a taping of a mouse, or a depression of a button of a
remote control.
[0019] The searching module 108 loads the keyword of the selected
product in a search engine, and searches related information of the
selected product from networks using the search engine. In one
embodiment, the search engine may be predetermined such as use of
an Internet search engine or other searching tools, and the related
information may be web pages, and/or website addresses. The search
engine may be predetermined or user-defined in other
embodiments.
[0020] The output module 110 displays the searched information of
the selected product on the display device 2, so the viewer 4 can
browse the searched information from the display device 2.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a
method for searching product information in TV programs with
product placements. Depending on the embodiment, additional blocks
may be added, others removed, and the ordering of the blocks may be
changed.
[0022] In block S300, the definition module 100 defines keywords
and appearance times of products presented on the TV program. In
the embodiment, each of the appearance times includes a start time
and an end time of the keywords to be presented on the TV program.
The TV program may be a movie, a TV series, or any other
entertainment shown.
[0023] In block S302, the recording module 104 records the keywords
and the appearance times of the presented products in an image file
or a movie file that is compatible with the TV program. The movie
file may be in a MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or an AVC format.
[0024] In block S304, the displaying module 102 displays the
keywords of the presented products on the display device 2
concurrently with the TV program according to the appearance
times.
[0025] In block S306, the receiving module 106 determines whether
any keyword presented on the TV program has been tapped by the
viewer 4. In one example, the viewer 4 may touch the display device
2 with a finger or a stylus to select the keyword of a presented
product, to select the presented product. If any keyword has been
tapped, block S308 is implemented. If no keyword is tapped, the
flow ends.
[0026] In block S308, the searching module 108 loads the keyword of
the selected product in a search engine, and searches related
information of the selected product from networks using the search
engine. As mentioned above, the search engine may be predetermined
such as use of an Internet search engine or other searching tools,
and the related information of the selected product may be web
pages and/or website addresses.
[0027] In block S310, the output module 110 displays the searched
information of the selected product on the display device 2, so
that the viewer 4 can browse the searched information of the
selected product from the display device 2.
[0028] Although certain inventive embodiments of the present
disclosure have been specifically described, the present disclosure
is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Various changes or
modifications may be made to the present disclosure without
departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
* * * * *